Railway-switch lock.



S. T. EARLY.

RAILWAY SWITCH LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11. 1915.

' 1,176,664. Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

S. T. EARLY.

RAILWAY SWITCH LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE II. I915.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

SION THOMAS EARLY, 0F ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed June 11, 1915. Serial No. 33,556.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SION THOMAS EARLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at kshcville, in the county of Buncombe and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in railway switch looks.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of railway switch locks and to provide a simple, practical and comparatively inexpensive safety switch lock capable of securely looking a switch rail against the main rail and of simultaneously locking the switch operating means to prevent movement of the same until both the switch operating mechanism and the switch rail are unlocked by manipulating the safety device or look.

W ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan View of a railway switch provided with a safety locking device constructed in accordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. l-"is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1 the safety lock being thrown out of engagement with the switch rail and the connecting rod of the switch operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the locking lever.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. 1 and 2 designate switch rails connected adjacent to their points to a switch rod 3 in the usual manner and movable to and from main rails 4 and 5. The

switch rod which is disposed transversely of the track extends to one side thereof and is connected to the lower end of a switch lever 6 pivoted at an intermediate point of its ends at 7 to a switch stand 8 and adapted to be oscillated to operate the switch in the usual manner. The switch stand 8 is provided with notches 9 which are adapted to be engaged by a gravity acting locking lever 10 or latch pivoted at an intermediate point of its ends on the switch lever 6 and provided with a lower locking arm and an upper handle portion 11 and maintained normally in engagement with one of the notches of the switch stand by the engaging arm of the lever 10 which is sufiiciently heavy to maintain it in engagement with the notches of the stand. The arms of the pivoted locking lever are arranged at an angle to each other and the upper or handle arm is adapted to be moved toward the switch lever to lift the lower engaging arm out of a notch of the switch stand to permit the switch lever to be moved to either of its positions.

The switch rail 1 is locked against the main rail 4 by a safety locking device comprising a transverse shaft 13 having an opcrating arm 14 and provided with a locking arm 15 for engaging the said rail. The shaft 13 is journaled in suitable bearings of hangers 16 and the locking arm which is located beneath the rails 1 and 4 when the rail 1 is in its closed position contiguous to the rail 1 and it is provided at its free or outer end with spaced jaws 17 arranged to embrace the rails 1 and 4 at the bottom flanges thereof whereby the rails are effectively prevented from relative movement so that there will be no liability of a train splitting the switch when the same is held in its closed position by the safety locking device. The arm 15 is adapted to swing upwardly and downwardly to and from the bottom flanges of the rails l and 4 and the hangers 16 are bolted or otherwise secured to the adjacent cross tie 18.

The transverse shaft 13 which is adapted to rock in the bearings of the hangers 16 extends beyond the track and the operating arm 14; is located at the outer side thereof and extends from the said shaft 18 to the switch bar 3 when it is in a horizontal position and the jaws 17 are in engagement with the switch and main rails 1 and 2. The operating arm is provided with an opening 19 through. which projects an eye 20 extending upwardly from the switch bar 3 and consisting of an eye bolt, staple or other suitable device and adapted to receive a pad lock 21 whereby the safety lock is secured to the switch operating mechanism and the switch operating mechanism is held against movement. When the operating arm is in this position it is also located between a pair of spaced lugs 22 mounted on the cross tie 18 and forming stops for bracing the operating arm 14 against lateral movement so that it will be impossible to operate the switch by the switch lever when the safety device is locked to the switch rod 3. By this construction a double locking action is obtained and the switch rail 1 is securely held against the main rail 4. When the safety locking device is in its open position as illustrated in Fig. i of the drawings, the switch operating mechanism may be moved to throw the switch rails in either direction.

The gravity acting locking device is pivoted in a slot 23 of the switch lever and the engaging portion of the arm of the locking lever extends through the slot to engage the switch stand.

Vhat is claimed is 1. The combination with a main rail and a movable switch rail, of a safety locking device comprising a transverse shaft, an arm extending from the shaft, and provided with jaws arranged to embrace the switch and main rail for locking the same against relative movement and carried to and out of engagement with the said rails by the rotary movement of the rock shaft and operating mechanism connected with the said shaft.

2. The combination with a main rail and a movable switch rail, of a safety locking device comprising a transverse shaft, an arm extending from the shaft, and provided with jaws arranged to embrace the switch and main rail for locking the same against rela tive movement and carried to and out of engagement with the said rails by the rotary movement of the rock shaft, switch operating mechanism connected with the switch rail for moving the same to and from the main rail, an operating arm connected with the shaft and means for locking the operating arm to the switch operating mechanism.

3. The combination with a main rail and a movable switch rail, of a safety locking device comprising a transverse shaft, an arm extending from the shaft, and provided with jaws arranged to embrace the switch and main rail for locking the same against relative movement and carried to and out of engagement with the said rails by the rotary movement of the rock shaft, switch operating mechanism including a switch rod connected with the switch rail and provided with projecting means adapted to receive a pad lock and an operating arm connected with the said shaft and having an opening to receive the said projecting means of the switch rod whereby it is secured to the iwiltch operating mechanism by the said pad 4. The combination with main rail, switch rails and switch operating mechanism provided with a switch rod connected with the switch rails, a transverse shaft, an arm extending from the shaft and located beneath one of the main rails and provided with jaws adapted to engage the same and one of the switch rails for locking such rails together, an operating arm located outside of the track and extending from the shaft to the switch rod, means for securing the operating rod to the switch rod and spaced lugs arranged to receive between them the operating arm when the latter is secured to the switch rod.

5. The combination with a track, and a switch rail, of switch operating mechanism including a stand provided with notches, a switch lever mounted on the stand, a switch rod extending from the switch lever to the switch rail, a locking lever pivotally mounted on the switch lever and provided with an engaging portion arranged to extend into the notches of the stand, a safety locking device comprising a shaft having an arm located beneath and movable into and out of engagement with the said rail and adapted to hold the latter against relativ e movement, said shaft being also provided with an operating arm, and means for locking the operating arm to the switch rod.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SION THOMAS EARLY.

Witnesses:

J. E. SWAIN, S. K. DAVIDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

